Poinsett Wind Symphony

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Established in June of 2014, the Poinsett Wind Symphony is one of the finest adult community bands in the southeast. The ensemble is comprised of talented professionals who come together 2-3 times a year to rehearse and perform high quality literature and entertaining public concerts. Ensemble members include K-12 music educators, college professors, full-time performers, and other individuals who—although their careers have taken them outside music perform at a professional level. More than 100 musicians are on the roster for the Poinsett Wind Symphony, with somewhere between 70-80 performing on each concert. The charter members of the Poinsett Wind Symphony include many Furman University alumni and faculty who continue to perform in the ensemble along with a number of other talented musicians from across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

The Poinsett Wind Symphony was founded by former Furman University band directors Dr. Leslie Hicken and Mr. Jay Bocook; along with current Director of Bands Dr. Sue Samuels, they serve as conductors of the ensemble. The Poinsett Wind Symphony has been enthusiastically received by both audiences and performers alike. During the inaugural performance in 2014, the Poinsett Wind Symphony worked with audio engineer Martin Aigner to record an album entitled "The Music of Jay Bocook." Since 2014, concerts have included such entertaining programs as "The Music of John Williams," "Music from Far and Away," "American Made," and “A Night at the Movies.” The band performed for the 2017 South Carolina Band Directors Association All-State Band Clinic and performs annually as part of the Furman Music by the Lake Series each June.

The Poinsett Wind Symphony is organized as a non-profit organization under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is officially recognized by the State of South Carolina as a charitable organization qualified to receive gifts and donations.

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Our Conductors

Jay Bocook

Jay Bocook is recognized internationally as an educator, conductor, composer, and GRAMMY-nominated arranger. His works have been performed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In 2003, Bocook was a contributing arranger to the musical “CyberJam,” which opened to rave reviews at London’s Queens Theatre. Currently, he is the principal arranger for “Blast!, the music of Disney,” which opened in Tokyo, Japan in the summer of 2017, and continued through 2019.

In 2003, the U.S. Marine Band premiered his transcriptions of the film music of John Williams at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An encore performance with Williams and “The President’s Own” took place in 2008, and again in 2023. His transcription of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront can be heard on the 2015 Marine Band album “Elements.” 

In 1982, Bocook was appointed director of bands at Furman University in Greenville, SC. In 1989, he left to pursue other opportunities as an arranger for Jenson Publications, but returned to Furman in 2000 as Director of Athletic Bands. He remains a principal composer and arranger for the Hal Leonard Corporation, where he has published over 600 arrangements and original compositions, and is the brass arranger for the ten-time world champion Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2009, he was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was elected into the American Bandmasters Association.

Dr. Les Hicken

Leslie W. Hicken, Professor Emeritus and the Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music, taught on the faculty of Furman University from the fall of 1993 until his retirement in 2019.  Within the music department, his responsibilities included the directorship of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; professor of music education and instrumental conducting; and Assistant Director with the Marching Band.  He was also the Director of the Furman Music by the Lake Concert Series and the Lakeside Concert Band.  Dr. Hicken recently retired as the Artistic Director of the Carolina Youth Symphony, a position he held for 24 years.

He is also the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Poinsett Wind Symphony.  During the 2021-2022 academic year, he was the Visiting Professor at Clemson University as conductor of their Symphony Orchestra.  In 2022-2023, he was the interim Director of the Wind Ensemble at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.  In 2010, he was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame.  Prior to his appointment at Furman, Hicken was the Director of Bands at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.  Previously, Hicken was employed as an instrumental music teacher in the Durham (NC) County School system.  He began his musical career serving as a clarinetist in the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY.  In 2002, he was elected into the American Bandmasters Association.  Dr. Hicken received his Bachelor of Performance degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Music Education from Indiana University.

Dr. Sue Samuels

Dr. Sue Samuels returned to Furman University, her alma mater, in 2019 as Director of Bands and Coordinator of Music Education Studies. Since she arrived at Furman, the Furman Symphonic Band has received invitational performances at the South Carolina Music Educators Conference (2022) the Grainger Festival in Chicago (2022), and the Sousa Festival in Washington, DC (2024), and the Paladin Regiment Marching Band was invited to perform in Dublin Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade this past March 2023.

Dr. Samuels’ teaching experience prior to her arrival at Furman includes 3 years as Director of Visual and Performing Arts at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, 14 years as Director of Bands at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2 years as Director of Bands at WT Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, 1 year as Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Georgia, and 12 years as Assistant Director of Bands at Lassiter High School in Marietta Georgia. During her tenure as a high school band director, the bands at both Lassiter and Woodson performed at the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival, and the Lassiter Band performed at the Midwest Clinic twice (1989, 1996) and won the 1998 Marching Band Grand National Championships. Under her leadership at UAB, the band program more than doubled in number, and the band performed nationally and internationally.

In addition to her work as a band director, Dr. Samuels enjoys being a mom to her beautiful son, Andrew, whom she adopted from Ethiopia in 2010.

David Stanley

David J. Stanley works as a teacher and musician to champion public music education, affirm regional identity, and promote community.

Raised in Emory, Virginia, Stanley is an eleventh-generation Southwest Virginian who knows rural Appalachia is frequently stereotyped as simple or unsophisticated—characteristics he was encouraged to challenge.  Later, as a teacher in an urban high school, he came to understand seemingly opposite communities as more connected than separate.  Together, they underscored the importance of musicians who listen, invest, and act: artistic citizens of place.

As Associate Director of Bands at Furman University, Dr. Stanley aims to empower such citizenship, helping lead a comprehensive ensemble and music education program.  Prior to his appointment at Furman, he was a conducting associate at the University of Georgia, where he earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts, studying with Cynthia Johnston Turner and Nicholas Williams.  His dissertation, “Listening for Community: Ensembles of Purpose and Place,” explored an ensemble’s potential to create community and teach artistic values supportive of a democratic society.

From 2014-2018, Stanley served as Director of Bands for William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Virginia and was responsible for overseeing the program’s complete structural reorganization.  An alumnus of Furman during the tenures of directors Leslie Hicken and Jay Bocook, he completed the Bachelor of Music Education, serving in a variety of leadership capacities including Drum Major.

David and his wife, Molly—who is also a musician and educator—have a young son, Tucker.

Board of Directors

President - Sue Alexander

Sara Glogowski

Vice President - David Keller

Spencer Nance

Secretary - Jessica Wofford

Gary Rhoden

Treasurer - Maggie Walters

Director – Jay Bocook

Personnel Manager - Dr. David Stanley

Director – Dr. Les Hicken

Allen Barbee

Director- Dr. Sue Samuels

Member Highlight

Roddy Terrell

Roddy Terrell was born and raised in North Carolina. He began playing clarinet at the age of 12 and was instantly in love with the sound. In 2005, he attended the Governor’s School of North Carolina and during this program, decided to make music his life’s passion and career. Roddy attended Furman University in Greenville, SC where he studied with Robert Chesebro and earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2010.

After graduation, Roddy attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA where he studied Clarinet with Robert DiLutis. From 2014-2017 Roddy served in the US Army as a clarinet player for the 82nd Airborne Division Band.

In November of 2015, Roddy began his master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. He graduated in 2018 and decided to use his skills as a clarinetist and an entrepreneur to found Oak City Clarinet.

In the fall of 2019, Roddy began his master’s degree in Clarinet Performance at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. He graduated in May of 2021. Additionally, he completed a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Musicology in 2022.

Roddy is an active teacher with positions at Music & Arts as a Mentor level teacher, where he teaches clarinet, bass clarinet, alto, tenor, bari sax, and flute; Moore Music Company in Greensboro, NC and an active private studio.

As a performer, Roddy has recently appeared with The North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Opera Roanoke and Greensboro Opera. Additionally, he has performed with the Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestra 2100. He is also a member of Appalachia: A Southeastern Wind Symphony, and the Poinsett Wind Symphony based in Greenville, SC.

Roddy is ABD in clarinet performance at UNCG. His teachers are Dr. Anthony Taylor and Dr. Andy Hudson.

Roddy is dedicated to his students and teaching them everything he knows about music

Kirk Godby

Kirk Godbey is originally from Radford, Virginia. Mr. Godbey received his bachelor’s degree in music education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia and master’s degrees in both Music Education and Public School Leadership from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Mr. Godbey received his National Board Certification in Music Education in 2005. He recently retired from teaching after 35byears of service to the Fort Mill School District. Mr. Godbey is a member of the National Association of Music Educators, the South Carolina Band Director’s Association (SCBDA), the South Carolina Music Educators Conference, Phi Beta Mu, and has served on the Advisory Board for Carolina Crown Drum Corps. Mr. Godbey is also an avid drill writer, clinician, advisor, and adjudicator of concert and marching bands throughout the southeast.

Kristin Gill

Kristin Gill has been a member of the Poinsett Wind Symphony since 2014 and plays the flute. She grew up in Summerville, SC where she attended Summerville High School. After graduating high school, she attended Furman University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Kristin has been the Director of Bands at Blue Ridge Middle School in Greenville County since 2015. She began her career as the Director of Bands at Easley High School from 2010-2015. Kristin will be embarking on a new adventure in the Fall of 2025 as the new elementary music teacher at Tyger River Elementary School in Spartanburg District 5! Kristin also performs regularly in the Greenville and Spartanburg areas.

In addition to playing the flute, Kristin enjoys reading and spending time with her family. Her husband plays trumpet in the Poinsett Wind Symphony and is a band director at Florence Chapel Middle School. They have two daughters, Chloe and Harper, and a cute old lady pup named Penny. Kristin serves as the Poinsett Wind Symphony’s social chairman and is really looking forward to future performances with the group!

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